Old Habits Die Hard
by Open Casket Ceremony
Summary: Horohoro and Ren finally find peace together, but when a certain enemy returns, Horohoro's old ways start returning and their lives may be shattered beyond repair: Now Ren is dying, and Horohoro is slowly losing his mind. [Sequel to Take Care of You]
1. Angel

Author's Note: Hurrah! It's the sequel to _Take Care of You_! If you didn't read that fic, you don't have to, but I reccomend you do so you know what's going on.

If you're lazy, I'll give you a brief summary of _Take Care of You_: Horohoro, along with his gang of shaman friends, are a formidable bunch. They, the popular, enjoy preying on the not-so-popular, and their favorite target is Tao Ren. However, as Horohoro begins to realize how blind he has been all that time, and that Ren never did anything to deserve their scorn and abuse, he finds himself falling in love with the Chinese shaman. Of course, Hao wasn't willing to let that happen, and in his determination to prevent it, did everything in his power, even murdering all of Horohoro's closest friends. In the end, Horohoro and Ren's new strong friendship (and possibly more?) helped them pull through the horrors and they were able to make it home safely.

This story occurs a year after _Take Care of You_ ended.

* * *

"One soda with extra ice and...plain water for this great kid over here," Horohoro announced, snapping the drink menu shut. It was his idea of a perfect day: the weather was beautiful, and he was free to spend the entire day with the love of his life. 

He grinned, playfully pinching Ren's cheek and tussling his hair. "You sure all you want is just water, Ren?"

"Yes, I'm sure," Ren replied, smiling.

Only a year had passed, and yet, so much had changed.

They felt entirely comfortable around each other, and they didn't have to be _too_ shy in telling each other what they really felt. Spending time with Horohoro had made Ren more confident with himself. He didn't stutter as much anymore, and he wasn't as shy. Horohoro was still the most popular guy at the high school, and no one dared to ridicule or hurt Ren anymore because of this. The two were an inseperable pair.

In fact, Horohoro had moved away by himself to Tokyo and rented out an apartment which he shared with Ren and their four pet bunny rabbits: Pirika, Yoh, Hao-Is-A-Bitch, and Ren. Horohoro had named them all himself.

Presently, their drinks arrived: Horohoro's soda and Ren's water.

As they idly sipped their drinks, their hands unconciously met on the table's top and their fingers intertwined. A few months ago, Ren would have blushed and moved away, but now he didn't mind so much.

A short while passed before Horohoro pushed his empty cup to the side. "Hey, Ren? Are you done?"

The Chinese boy looked up. "Er...yes. Yes, I am." He, too, pushed his empty cup off to the side where it was out of the way.

"Shall we go, then?"

"Sure."

Horohoro stood first, extending his hand towards Ren. "Take my hand and let us be on our way, milady," he said in a ridiculous posh accent.

"I'm a boy, Horohoro," Ren laughed, but he took the Ainu's outstretched hand anyways and allowed himself to be guided to his feet and out the cafe door. He was used to Horohoro's goofy sense of humor, it was way better than Chocolove's cheesy jokes. He smiled reminiscently, wondering what it would be like if all their other friends were still alive.

They walked slowly and calmly down the crowded Tokyo street. Everyone else seemed to be in a hurry, but Horohoro and Ren were not. It was kind of fun to watch the world go by like that. They had no particular destination in mind, and the only goal was to spend some valuable spare time together.

Horohoro bought himself a monstrously sized ice cream from a street vendor, and he bought Ren a small tray of mochi, a traditional Japanese rice cake. They sat on a bench and enjoyed their treats, conversing and laughing all the while.

It took the Ainu only a few seconds to polish off the huge ice cream, and Ren took a little bit longer to finish the mochi. They were on their way again upon completion of their consumption.

It was like the things that Horohoro said and did to hurt Ren all had never happened. That was all in the past, which they had agreed to put aside.

They walked some more for about ten minutes. It was then that Horohoro noticed that Ren was no longer at his side.

"Eh?" Horohoro said, looking around. "That's weird..." He spun his head to the left and right, but Ren was nowhere in sight. "Ren?" he called out nervously. "Ren? Where are you, huh? This isn't funny."

It wasn't meant to be funny.

In crowded areas, there are bound to be muggers, pickpockets, and all sorts of shady characters. They usually preyed on those who appeared weak, and fragile-looking Ren seemed like the perfect target.

It all happened so fast that he didn't even have time to yell for help. In a split second, he had felt a rough calloused hand clap itself over the mouth, an arm sliding around his waist. Horohoro didn't have time to notice or react, either, as Ren was dragged into a dark alley.

Terrified, the Chinese shaman's eyes were wide as the arm around his waist moved away and instead began to search through his pockets. Ren assumed the object of this person's desire was his wallet, which he had conveniently left at home. (Horohoro said he'd pay for everything.)

"Where's your money, kid?" the assaulter growled in his ear.

"I...I don't have it with me...i-it's at home..." Ren stammered.

"Liar!"

Ren's attacker slapped him hard across the face, causing him to gasp in pain. His cheek felt like it was on fire, and his head was spinning from the impact. "I'm not lying..." he said fearfully.

His eyes widened as he felt a blade press against his neck.

"Give it to me now...or I'll kill you."

Tears sprang to the Chinese boy's eyes. Painful memories of his deadly experience with Hao about a year ago flooded his mind. Only this time, there was no one to save him.

Or so he thought.

"Get your fat dirty hands off him, you bastard!" Out of the corner of his eye, Ren could see Horohoro running towards him. The man after Ren's wallet looked at him too, scowled, and ran off, leaving Ren huddled against the alley wall.

Just like Hao, he had gotten away with a crime.

Only Hao's case was much worse. He had comitted murder.

"Ren, are you alright?" a worried Horohoro asked, kneeling down next to him and wrapping his arms around his body.

He couldn't help it. Tears were sliding down his cheeks as Ren buried his face into Horohoro's shoulder, shaking and sobbing.

"It's okay, Ren, it's okay," the blue-haired boy said in what he hoped was a comforting tone, stroking Ren's hair and holding him close. "Don't cry, Ren. Don't be scared. You're my angel, I'll always protect you in every way I can...I would die for you."

"Do you mean it, Horohoro?"

"I mean it."

That was how it was for Ren. It had always been his nature to not try and defend himself out of fear, ever since the previous year and even further before that.

Old habits die hard.

And Horohoro didn't know that what he just said was a lie. His old ways of life would come back around to him, eventually.

Which meant that soon enough, he would be doing the exact opposite of protecting Ren.


	2. Snowy Day

Horohoro quietly entered Ren's bedroom the next morning, opening the door very carefuly and tiptoe-ing towards him.

He smiled as he approached. Ren always looked so cute and innocent in his sleep. His dark hair was a dramatic contrast to the soft white beadspread and sheets which had been pulled all the way up to his chin. His eyes were peacefully closed, and one hand rested on his large pillow.

The scene was too cute for Horohoro to resist _not_ ruining. He bent down, put his lips by Ren's ear, and screamed, "WAKE UP!"

With a startled yelp, the Chinese boy shot straight up, clapping his hands over his ears. "Oh..." he yawned groggily, rubbing his eyes and stretching. "Good morning, Horohoro," he said as he blinked against the sunlight that flooded his room through his window.

"And good morning to you, too," Horohoro said cheerfully. "C'mon, Ren, hurry up and get out of bed. Breakfast is ready." He laughed, scratching the back of his head. "I never knew such an innocent looking kid like you could sleep like that."

"Oh..." Ren said quickly. "I...I'm sorry."

"No, no, no," The Ainu chuckled. "I didn't mean it like I was mad at you or anything."

After Ren had changed out of his pajamas, the two headed to the small table in the other room, where Horohoro had set out two bowls of rice, two sets of chopsticks, and two glasses of milk.

Horohoro shoved his breakfast into his mouth like a pig, spraying rice all over. Ren wasn't like that, he ate more slowly and with more neatness. Then, he was able to enjoy the milk he loved so much, delicately sipping the white liquid.

"You look cold, Ren," the Ainu commented, his mouth half-full with food.

"No...I'm fine," Ren said quickly, even though he was shivering slightly in the morning chill.

Horohoro went into his bedroom and returned carrying his blanket. He shook it out and draped it over Ren's shoulders, wrapping it tightly around him. "It's my lucky blankie," he explained, with a silly grin on his face. "I've had it since I was a really little kid, it was always my favorite."

Ren smiled. "Thank you, Horohoro," he said. "I feel warmer now." He traced the intricate Ainu patterning with his finger. "It's so soft," he remarked, "And the patterns are beautiful."

"You think so?" Horohoro asked as he took his jacket off its hook and put it on.

"Yeah."

"Cool," he replied. "Well, Ren, I'm going out for while for groceries. You just stay home, keep warm, and relax, okay?" He picked up the keys and headed towards the door.

"Okay. I'll see you later."

"Bye," he said cheerfully, exiting and closing the door behind him. The locked the door and left, waving at Ren.

He took the apartment complex's elavator down to the bottom floor, entering the main lobby area. He walked through the sliding doors, to be greeted by a blast of cold wind. "Gosh, it's cold!" he exclaimed to himself, stepping into the busy Tokyo street.

A single snowflake drifted down from the sky and landed on his nose. He smiled, asking himself, "It's already winter?"

Of course it was. Horohoro loved winter, everything about it. The snow, the atmosphere, and one of the best things was that Ren's birthday happened to be the season.

He thought hard to try and remember the date December 20. Just a few days before Christmas. He put the thoughts aside as he entered the grocery store.

After loading his basket with vegetables and milk (a lot, just for Ren), the Ainu made his way to the check out counter to pay for his goods. He did so, and started on his way home again.

As he walked, feet crunching in the thin layer of snow on the ground, he spotted a shop.

"It wouldn't hurt to buy Ren's Christmas and birthday presents early, I guess," he pondered aloud as he entered.

The faint scent of incense greeted his senses as he entered, a small bell on the door jingling merrily to welcome him. He looked around, searching for something that Ren might possibly want.

He finally decided that nothing was suitable. Everything was too material; none of it was worthy to be a present for Ren. H thought hard, racking his brain. What was a present he had gotten before that he had loved?

_Ikupasuy_.

That was it. He smiled to himself. He would carve Ren an ikupasuy.


	3. The Witch's Spell

Horohoro sat on a bench in the park, wondering what Ren was up to. He was idly whittling away at a slab of wood, and he must have been there fore hours to perfect the gift he planned for Ren.

He blew on it to get the debris off, rubbing it with his shirt to polish it. He grinned and couldn't help but be proud of himself for finally finishing the ikupasuy.

He felt his cell phone ringing in his pocket, and he immediately answered it. He smiled to himself as Ren's voice entered through the earpiece.

"Horohoro?" Ren said in a nervous voice. "Where are you? Did something happen? You've been gone for hours."

"Eh?" Horohoro looked at his watch. He cursed mentally, it had already been five hours since he had left. "Oh...sorry, Ren. You see..." He quickly made up a fast fib. "Uh, there was a disturbance outside the grocery store, there was a car crash or something, so they wouldn't let me out until the crash site was cleared."

"Really?" Ren asked. "So, you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Ren."

"S-Sorry for bothering you...I was just...worried about you."

The Ainu grinned. "Aww, Ren! You're so cute. Well, I'm on my way home now. See you in a bit, okay?"

"Okay. Bye."

"Bye."

He flipped the phone shut and pocketed it, along with the newly-made ikupasuy. As he stood up to begin the trip home, he heard an icy voice that was even colder than the weather address him.

"It's been a while, Horohoro."

Horohoro spun around. He knew that voice all too well. Trying to maintain his composure, he hissed, "What do you want with me, Hao?"

"You seem to be in good health," replied the fire shaman cheerfully. "It's good to see an old friend again." He smirked in a most unpleasant manner. "So...you're real close to Ren now, aren't you?"

Horohoro tensed. "That's none of your business."

"Yes, it is, Usui. If you'd allow me to warn you about something."

The blue-haired boy narrowed his eyes. "Warn me? Warn me about what?"

Hao's smile grew. "It's hard to tell you, but it's my duty...as your friend."

"Since when are you my friend?" Horohoro spat.

Hao ignored him. "Let me tell you this, Horohoro. Ren isn't they shy, innocent boy you think he is." He leaned closer to Horohoro as the poisonous words seemed to drip from his lips.

"He's a witch, Horohoro. The boy's a decietful witch. And he has you under his spell."

"What?" Horohoro said, confused. "What do you mean?"

"Why did you fall in love with him, Horohoro?"

He frowned, rubbing his head. "I have to admit that I really don't know."

"Exactly," Hao answered. "You may have thought he was a shaman, but he's nothing more than a mere witch. He _forced_ you to fall in love with him with witchcraft. He possesed me and _forced_ me into killing your precious friends so no one would be able to open your blinded eyes."

"I don't believe you," Horohoro insisted, although deep in his heart, he was beginning to doubt. Did Hao speak the truth? Was Ren really nothing more than a distrustful witch?

"And all that, Horohoro. Because he was after popularity."

"What?"

"He used you, Horohoro. He never really loved you. His real intention was to get close to you so that he would become one of the popular because he was with you...and when the time was right...he planned to kill you."

Horohoro's eyes widened. "No...No, not Ren. Ren would never..."

"But he did."

Something snapped in the Ainu's mind. It was something like hatred, but worse.

How could Ren do this?

He hated him. He hated Ren.

He turned to Hao, a fierce look in his eyes. "I believe you, Hao. I always knew you weren't the type to kill or murder anyone, especially not your brother, Yoh. Thank you for warning me."

"So, what are you going to do now?" inquired the taller shaman.

Horohoro clenched his fists. "I'll kill the filthy witch before he can kill me."


	4. Unforgivable

Horohoro threw the door open forcefully, furious.

"Horohoro?" Ren said, turning to look at him. He still had the blanket draped around himself. He could sense that something was terribly wrong. "Horohoro? What's wrong? Please tell me...I'm worried about you-"

"_Shut up_."

The Chinese boy's eyes widened as he felt Horohoro grab him by the hair and jerk him forward.

"You're worried about me? Worried my ass." He slapped Ren hard with all the strength he had. Ren fell to the floor, looking at Horohoro with a terrified expression on his face. He had no idea what was happening.

"Why, Ren? Why?" Horohoro asked, his voice eerily cold. "After all this time...why did you lie to me?"

"Horohoro...I...I don't know what you're talking about..."

"Save it for hell, you dirty witch." Ren cried out as Horohoro kicked him hard in the stomach. "You don't deserve this," he continued, reaching down and grabbing the blanket he had wrapped around Ren himself just a few hours ago. He jerked it away, and Ren made no effort to resist.

"What's wrong?" Ren asked quietly, tears sliding down his eyes. "Horohoro, what happened? I honestly don't know what you're saying...I...I...please, explain to me..."

"You know perfectly well."

The Ainu grabbed Ren by the collar and jerked him to his feet, slamming him into the wall and pinning him there. The defenseless boy looked away fearfully, wincing in pain.

"Look at me, Ren." Horohoro took Ren's face in his hand and turned it towards him, forcing Ren to look at him straight in the eye. "Don't think I'll ever forgive you. I loved you, Ren. And now I realize it's nothing but a game for you."

"No...please..." Ren whispered, more tears dripping from his wide eyes. "You're not the Horohoro I know...you're not my Horohoro..."

"Shut up!" He slapped Ren again. "Don't you dare address me! Hao told me everything, he told me the truth. You want attention? I'll give you _attention_!"

He turned Ren around so his back was to him, holding him with one hand trapped against the wall.

Ren begged Horohoro to be reasonable and to slow down and explain to him what was happening, but the enraged Ainu ignored him. Instead, he did something that he could never forgive himself for, but he was to furious to care.

Right then and there, he raped Ren.

He ignored his screams. He ignored his pleas for him to stop.

When he was done, he threw Ren to the floor in disgust. "I was hoping we could have done that without it being against your will. But it's obvious a time like that will never come. You're pathetic. You're trash. No, you're worse than trash."

Ren was huddled on the floor, sobbing. He was in so much pain, and he didn't even understand why.

If only Horohoro knew that _Hao _was the one who told lies.

The Chinese boy didn't dare look up as Horohoro took the ikupasuy he had planned to give Ren from his pocket.

"Here," he spat, throwing the prayer stick at him. "Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday in advance. I want you out of my sight by the end of today. Or, I'll happily make sure you spend your holidays in hell."

"Horohoro..."

The Ainu ignored him and took a fistful of his hair, jerking him back up.

"I...I don't know what I did to make you so angry...but if you really feel that way...then kill me."

Horohoro snorted in disgust. "Don't give me your crap, whore." He siezed Ren's wrist and dragged him to the door, throwing him out.

"Ren, I can't believe you."

He slammed the door shut, leaving the Chinese boy with no place to go and with no idea what he was to do.

Tears flowing freely, he stumbled into the bitter winter cold before collapsing and passing out in the Tokyo street.

Hundreds of people walked by him. No one stopped at all.

He had never felt so unloved in his life.

What was wrong with Horohoro?


	5. Shattered Glass

Horohoro entered his bedroom and flung himself onto his bed. What had he just done? What had just happened? The enormity of it all sunk into his mind. Hao's terrible words played through his mind, over and over again, like a broken record.

_"He used you."_

_"He planned to kill you."_

_"He never really loved you."_

He clenched his fists, punching his pillow hard. He glanced over to the table at the side of his bed. There was a small framed photograph in it. In the picture, he had a silly grin on his face and he had his arm around Ren's shoulders. Ren was smiling, too, and he looked truly happy.

Disgusted, Horohoro shoved the picture of the table. It landed on the floor with a crash. The frame cracked, and the glass inside the frame shattered. The photograph drifted away and settled somewhere underneath his bed.

He didn't care. He never wanted to see it again.

In fact, he never wanted to see anything to do with Ren ever again.

In a crazed fury, he charged through the apartment. He ran to his closet, digging out a photo album. He flipped it open. So many pictures of himself and Ren in different places. They were smiling in every one. He ripped the album in half and threw it across the room. Ripped photos flew everywhere.

He ripped the photos taped on his bedroom wall off, throwing them to the floor and stomping on them. All the other photos in the apartment went crashing to the ground, one by one.

Panting, he finally stopped when the last picture had been destroyed. He stepped back to survey his work.

The apartment was a total mess, like a hurricane had ripped through it. The floor was littered with ripped and tattered photos. Pages from various books and albums drifted around noiselessly. Shattered glass was everywhere.

He had stepped on so many pieces of glass , and his feet were cut and bleeding in many places. He was so absorbed with emotional pain that he didn't even feel the physical pain of the fresh wounds.

Now bloody footprints joined the mess.

It was then that Horohoro did something he hadn't done in a long time.

He started crying.

He had been so angry at Ren for betraying him, for lying to him, for using him. And now the anger was replaced with sadness for the fact that Ren had never really loved him.

Ren was feeling no better than him, in fact, he could have been a little bit worse off.

In short, Horohoro had abandoned him on the streets. He had nowhere to go, no money, nothing. The only things he had with him were the clothes on his back and the ikupasuy Horohoro had meant to give him as a Christmas and birthday present.

It was dreadfully cold, and Ren had huddled in a corner at an alley's edge. He was just another homeless with nowhere to go, no one to love him, and no one to care.

Shivering, he tried to warm himself by rubbing his arms. It helped, but he still felt chilled to his bones. Was he going to freeze to death? Or starve? It didn't matter, either way Ren was sure he was doomed to die on the streets with stray dogs picking at his corpse.

He fingered the ikupasuy, wondering why Horohoro had done this to him.

_"You're trash. No, you're worse than trash."_

_"Dirty witch."_

_"Don't think I'll ever forgive you."_

What had he meant when he had said "witch?" Was he accusing him of something?

Whatever it was, he didn't know, and it was too late to do anything about it.

"Oh, well..." he said to himself, looking up at the sky. "If I really did something to hurt him...then I deserve to die anyways."

He shivered again, pulling his knees up to his chest. It was snowing.

Horohoro loved the snow. He had a special place for the icy whiteness in his heart.

And Ren knew he'd never get _his_ place in Horohoro's heart back.


	6. Confrontation

The next day, Horohoro returned to school and acted as if nothing really had happened. He laughed and talked, he did his best in class, and he continued to be the star of the school. However, Ren was no longer at his side, and instead, he hung out with Hao more and more.

When someone would ask, "What happen to that Ren kid?" Horohoro would give a simple reply.

"I don't need him anymore."

Lunch was spent like any day before the incidents with Ren, except Hao was the only one left to talk with him. It was like nothing had ever changed between him and Ren. His heart was ice, he no longer felt anything for Ren except for scorn.

"What'd you do with the witch?" Hao asked. "You said you'd kill him."

"I did say that," Horohoro replied coldly. "But I didn't do it."

"Why not?"

Horohoro placed his fist on the table. "Because I didn't want to dirty my hands with his filthy witch blood. That's all there is to it." He stood up. "I'll do it eventually. Don't nag me."

School let out, and Horohoro walked home by himself. It felt strange, walking alone. Usually, Ren would be with him. On snowy days such as this one, he always felt happy. Today was different. His heart was colder than the weather.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw movement. He turned his head towards the alley at his left. There was a boy there, huddled up and shivering violently. His clothing was splashed with blood, a fresh wound on his face. A man was standing in front of him, whom Horohoro recognized as the person who had attacked Ren a few days ago.

"C'mon, old man," Horohoro shouted to him. "What're you doing? Just go and beat the crap out of the kid, will you?"

Ren looked up. His eyes grew wide, and he quickly looked away.

The man looked at Horohoro with a strange expression on his face. He turned around quickly hurried away, disappearing down the alley.

"Geez, people around here are so useless," Horohoro said. "Can't even do anything to a homeless kid." He approached Ren, who instinctively shrank away. "How're you doing, Ren?" he asked, grinning unpleasantly. "Are you cold?"

"Horohoro..." Ren looked up at the Ainu. "Why are you here? Please, just leave me alone."

Horohoro ignored him. "You're pathetic," he scoffed. "Reduced to a homeless beggar. To think I actually loved you at one point. It disgusts me." He laughed. "What about you, Ren? What do you think?"

"Horohoro...I loved you too. Y-You may have thought otherwise...and even though you did terrible things to me...I still...I think I still love you."

"That's rubbish. Witches don't feel emotion."

"I'm not a witch."

"I'm sick of your lies, Ren." He turned away to leave. "By the way, it's chilly, isn't it? I come from Hokkaido, I know lots about the cold." He smiled at Ren. "I'm pretty sure you won't last much more than a day at this rate. The temperature is dropping rapidly. You're going to suffer, and I'm really glad for that."

"Have fun!" he laughed before walking away.

Boy, did he love the cold.

Ren was going to die. He was sure of it. He was pleased with the thought as he entered the apartment complex.

Back outside, Ren couldn't help but let out some tears. Horohoro had called him a witch again. Horohoro _wanted_ him to die.

Ren buried his face in his arms. He didn't mind so much anymore. After all, dying would be much better than living like this. And if it was all he could do to make Horohoro happy, then so be it.


	7. In the Lion's Den

As night set in, true to Horohoro's words, the temperature dropped lower than it already was. Ren was fighting to stay warm, though he felt numb all over. His teeth were chattering and he was shivering.

"Little boy, why are you out here all alone in the cold? It's dangerous for children to be out after dark."

Ren looked up. A middle-aged couple, a man and a woman, stood in front of him, bundled warmly in thick winter clothing.

"I...I don't have anywhere to go," Ren answered between his chattering teeth. "I don't have a home, if that's what you're asking."

The couple looked at him sympathetically. "How would you like to come with us?"

Ren's eyes widened. Ever since Horohoro had kicked him out of the apartment, no one had really cared about him. Hundreds of people had walked by him without giving him even so much as a glance, and now, out of the blue, some people had went so far as to offer to take him in.

It was a tempting offer, but Ren couldn't bring himself to accept it.

"I...I'm grateful for your kindness...but..." he looked downwards. "I...I dont think I deserve it."

He realized that the couple looked very much like someone he had known before, could there be a connection?

"Oh, come on," the woman insisted. "There isn't a single soul in the whole world who doesn't deserve a home and a little love, don't you think?"

"I'm nothing," Ren said quietly. "I'm worse than trash...That's what he said before...before he left me here."

"Who?" inquired the man. "Who did such a terrible thing to you?"

Ren shook his head. "I don't want to say who...but I can say that once...he was my friend."

"What a lousy friend," the man scoffed. "Come on, kid. Come with us. You'll freeze to death if you stay out here."

Before Ren could refuse again, the woman took off her coat and wrapped it around him. It was so warm. Ren felt like maybe he _did_ belong somewhere after all. She pulled Ren to his feet, smiling warmly.

She took Ren's hand. "We'll bring you to our home," she said. "You'll be safe there."

As they moved towards the direction of the couple's home, Ren had to know. "Er...may I have your names?" he inquired as politely as he could.

"Oh," the man said cheerfully. "I'm Asakura Mikihisa. and that's my wife, Asakura Keiko."

Ren's blood ran cold. They were Asakuras. Yoh's parents. _Hao's _parents.

He stopped. "No...I'm sorry," he whispered. "I...I can't go with you." He backed away from them, looking away.

"Nonsense."

He didn't know how, and he didn't know why, but somehow, one way or another, he found himself standing in the middle of the Asakura home. It was a neat place, and it was comfortingly warm. It was hard to believe someone as destructive and cold-hearted as Hao could live in such a pleasant, clean place.

"You can stay in our younger son's bedroom," siad the woman, Keiko. "His name was Yoh. He no longer is here with us. About a year ago, he was murdered by someone we still do not know of."

Ren swallowed. He wanted to tell her that Yoh had been murdered by Hao. By his brother. But he didn't expect her to believe him, so he remained quiet.

"Our other son, Hao, will be returning home shortly," continued the man, Mikihisa. "He went to visit a friend, but he should be back at any minute now."

Right on cue, as if it had been staged, the door opened and a figure still in school uniform stepped in. There was no mistakening the long hair, the unpleasant smirk.

Ren shut himself in Yoh's room, locking the door, heart pounding. How had he gotten himself trapped under the same roof as Hao? It was like the old saying, "In the lion's den."

He listened closely to the conversation that took place in the other room.

"Oh, Hao, you're back," Keiko said. Ren could hear Hao removing his shoes. "How was your visit to Horohoro's?"

Ren's heart sank. So Hao was still telling Horohoro lies, was he?

"By the way," Mikihisa said to his son, "We picked up a homeless boy off the streets today. He's staying in Yoh's old room, maybe you should introduce yourself? I expect that you treat him like you would treat a brother. Like you would treat Yoh."

"Of course."

Ren shuddered. Hao had killed Yoh. Treating him like Yoh would mean that Hao had every right to do away with him as well. He moved away from the door, terrified. He had to get away, but how? There were no windows in Yoh's room, no means of escape.

"Tomorrow," Keiko said to Hao, "He'll be going to school with you. We were going to enroll him, but it turns out he was a former student, so we won't have to go through that trouble."

"Okay, Mom. I'm going to see him now."

He heard the doorknob turn, and there was a click as Hao unlocked the door. Ren inhaled sharply, backing away. Hao grinned at him in a most unpleasant way.

"I knew it had to be you," Hao said, approaching Ren. "I'd love to say that darling Horohoro misses you terribly, but I'm afraid if I did, I would be lying. I have no intention to lie to you, Ren. So, I'll tell you truthfully that it really was me who told Horohoro about you being a witch. You and I both know that's not true, but what Horohoro doesn't know won't hurt him yes?"

"S...Stay away..." Ren stammered. It had been almost a year since he had last seen Hao.

"Is that how you greet an old friend after all this time?" Hao was now right in front of Ren. "You haven't changed much. You're still the scrawny little brat I knew a year ago." He reached out, stroking Ren's face. The Chinese boy flinched, trying to move away.

Hao laughed. "Your skin is as beautiful as ever, too, I've found. You still have that same pretty face and those same pretty eyes."

"Y...You lied to him..." Ren accused. "He hates me, Hao. W-We were...we were happy...and you had nothing better to do...than to take him away from me?"

An amused smile appeared at Hao's lips. "Trust me, Ren. Things are much better this way. Horohoro is back to his old self, thanks to me. And it'll stay that way." To Ren's relief, he finally stepped away from him.

"Go to sleep, darling Ren. I'm sure Horohoro is looking forward to seeing you tomorrow at school."


	8. Fighting Back

"Usui!"

"Hunh!?" Horohoro woke up with a start, lifting his head from the desk. "What?"

His math teacher glared at him. "I'd like you to answer number 8 in the textbook."

Horohoro cursed under his breath. He hadn't been paying attention at all to the day's lesson. He started blankly at the textbook's pages, trying to quickly absorb all the numbers that were scattered across the page. "Uh..." he muttered. "Uh..."

The teacher sighed. She turned to another boy, smiling at him. Her star pupil, the one who always got full scores in everything.

"Would you like to answer in the imbecile's place?" she asked. "Welcome back to class, by the way, Mr. Tao."

"64.5," Ren answered promptly. His mind was fast and sharp, allowing him to calculate the problems quickly.

Horohoro was not the least bit happy. He wondered how and why Ren had all of a sudden started coming back to school. After all, wasn't he homeless? He should have froze to death by now.

"What's the big deal, nerd?" Horohoro demanded, standing up from his seat and glaring at Ren. "Trying to make me look stupid, are you? You think you're real smart just because you can do some random math problem, don't you?"

Ren looked down, suddenly becoming extremely interested with his shoelaces. "I'm sorry," he muttered, noting that Horohoro had not even bothered to address him by his name.

"Enough, Usui," snapped the teacher. "You are in no position to speak to your peers like that. Ren has a 108.5 grade in this class...whereas you, on the other hand, have a 62.3. Remember your place."

Horohoro grinned. "Ah, I see. Now I know why your grades are so good, Tao. Maybe something cheap called witchcraft?"

Hao laughed. "That's right, Ren, dear. Don't deny it now."

"Asakura! Usui!" the teacher screeched. "I will not have you speak of such evil arts in my respectable math class! Shut your mouths or you'll be doing trigonometry problems on the board after school."

Horohoro and Hao did shut up, but the teacher didn't notice them placing threatening notes on Ren's desk when they had the chance.

They had even more fun with it during history lessons.

"Sensei," Horohoro said, raising his hand. "I'd like to know about the Salem witch trials in America."

"That's an interesting request," the history teacher replied, "But I'll tell you about it. When people had first began settling in America, they were extremely superstitous. Anyone who was believed to be a witch was hung in a public execution, and they were never given fair trials. Many innocent people were killed as a result."

Horohoro grinned. "I know someone who should be hung. Don't you, Hao?"

"Yep."

They laughed loudly, causing Ren to shudder and shrink back into his seat. Why did Horohoro believe Hao? Why had Hao gone and told him that he was a witch, when he was entirely innocent of such accusations?

He spent lunch trying to avoid the two, but they found him anyways and relished tormenting him. It was just like the old days.

"How's this, witch?"

Ren couldn't help but let tears drip silently down his cheeks as Horohoro shoved him hard into the lockers and kick him.

"Crap. You upset him, Horohoro," Hao chuckled. "Be careful, he might turn you into a toad."

"Rubbish," Horohoro laughed. "If he even thinks about it..."

Ren's tearful eyes were wide as he felt the Ainu's hands circle around his throat.

"...I'll kill him."

The Chinese boy couldn't take it anymore. All this toture for nothing. He had to try to put a stop to it all before things went out of control. He knew that under Hao's influence, Horohoro could do terrible things.

"I'm not a witch!" he blurted.

Horohoro's hands tightened around his neck, causing him to choke. "You just tell yourself that."

Hao was smiling at Ren with a satisfied expression on his face. "It's one thing to lie to someone who loved you, Ren...but to try and lie again to get your way? You're pathetic."

"Horohoro," Ren said desperately. "Hao killed your sister. He killed Pirika. And yet, you believe him over me? I had no intentions of becoming popular. I could care less about that. Please, Horohoro...please don't acuse me of things that have nothing to do with me."

Horohoro's eyes narrowed. "Ren..."

"You possesed me," Hao said coldly through pursed lips. "You _made_ me kill her."

"I did no such thing," Ren insisted. "Why can't you think sensibly, Horohoro? I loved you too. And you betrayed me, sent me out onto the streets, you beat me, you raped me. Does that not equal to what you claim I did to you?"

"He's right..." Horohoro muttered softly. He began doubting again. He didn't know who to believe, Hao or Ren. He had loved Ren, then hated him. But he realized that deep down inside him, he still had perhaps the slightest bit of feeling left for him.

"Hao. Tell me the truth," he said finally. "Is it you or Ren who's guilty?"

Hao glared hatefully at Ren. "There was no need for you to open your huge mouth and leak more lies like a broken faucet," he growled.

"Lies?" Ren shot back. "_You're the one who lies!_" He lost his self control. For his whole life, he had wordlessly complied with everything that everyone had said. He never fought back, he never felt the need to be aggressive. But he could no longer hold in the feelings that were pent in him for so long. He shoved Horohoro out of his way and lunged at Hao.

The two were tangled instantly in a scuffle, with hands and feet flying everywhere. Several passerbys stopped to watch with mild interest as Ren and Hao fought furiously.

"Stop it! Ren!" Horohoro yelled, tugging the two apart.

"Horohoro...I'm sorry."

Before Horohoro could utter another word, Ren fled down the hallway, tears streaming from his eyes.


	9. Begging for Forgiveness

"Ren, wait!" Horohoro shouted, watching as the Chinese boy began running. "Ren!"

He ran after him and reached out, grabbing him by the wrist to stop him. "Ren, please-"

"Let go of me!" Ren yelped, trying to jerk his wrist away from Horohoro's grip. Horohoro looked down and his eyes widened. More scars across them. Ren had stopped cutting his wrists a while ago after he started living with Horohoro, but with a horrible sense of guilt, the Ainu realized that he had started again because of him.

"Ren, how...how did you do that?"

He looked away. "Broken glass. Please...please let go..."

Horohoro didn't release him, but just stared at him with a stunned expression on his face. "Ren?" he said uncertainly. "Are you really telling the truth?"

Ren nodded quietly. "I love you, Horohoro. I have no reason to lie to you."

He turned around. Hao was nowhere to be seen. He had probably chickened out, unable to face Horohoro when the _real_ truth was revealed.

He looked back to Ren, guilt stabbing at his heart. Why had he been such a fool to believe Hao's nonsense? If he hadn't been so gullible, maybe he wouldn't have hurt Ren like this.

He felt so stupid. It was shameful to know that he had fallen right into Hao's trap so easily. And even worse, he had hurt Ren in the most unimaginable ways. He had beaten him, raped him, made a fool of him, broken his heart, and forced him onto the streets.

Horo wrapped his arms around him, pulling him close in a apologetic hug, "Ren...I'm so sorry." He stroked the boy's hair, whispering, "I'll admit it, I was stupid. I take back all those things I said to you, and everything I did to you...I only wish there was something I could do to let you forgive me."

Ren smiled faintly. "It's alright," he said softly. "You don't have to do anything. All I needed was your apology."

"No, that's not enough. I'll make it up to you." He paused for a moment, trying to think of some way he could atone for his crimes. No matter how hard he thought, it didn't seem like there was anything he could do.

He gently brushed his lips against Ren's forehead, holding him tightly. "Please don't hate me, Ren."

"It...it's nothing," the Chinese boy stammered, blushing as Horohoro's lips made contact with his skin. "I...I still love you...and even if something like this happens again...I'll still love you..."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes..."

"Aww, Ren...you really _are_ cute."

Before he could say another word, Ren suddenly doubled over in pain, coughing violently. He crossed his arms over his stomach, squeezing his eyes shut as another wave of coughs shook his frail body.

"Ren!" Horohoro yelped, startled. "Ren, what's wrong?"

The boy didn't answer. Panting heavily, he crumpled to the floor, clutching his stomach, letting out yet another harsh fit of coughs.

"M...My stomach..."

Eyes wide in horror, the Ainu glanced down to the tile floor. Blood was splashed across the pristine freshly scrubbed whiteness. Blood that he knew Ren had just been coughing up.

He knelt down next to Ren, attempting to support him with his arms. "What's wrong?"

"I...I'm alright, Horohoro..."

A sick feeling began bubbling up in Horohoro's stomach. He knew that this was probably the result of the beating he had given Ren the other day. After all, he _had_ kicked him in the stomach with reasonable force various times.

"Oh, god...What have I done to you?"


	10. Christmas Eve

Author's Note: I would like to wish Hao and Yoh a rather belated happy birthday...

* * *

Like most of Japan's more festive population, Horohoro loved Christmas. Tokyo was alive with lights, snow, noise, and excitement on the eve of the holiday. 

Now that things were back like they should have been with Ren, he found himself able to enjoy the event much more.

Ren had managed to convince Keiko and Mikihisa that it was fine for him to return to his old home

As night fell, he and Ren went out together for a walk. They each purchased steaming mugs of cocoa at a nearby street vendor and seated themselves on a bench to watch the hustle and bustle.

Horohoro casually draped his arm around Ren's thin shoulders, watching as he blew on his cocoa to cool it down. His cheeks were red from the cold, so he drew his coat collar higher.

"Are you cold, Ren?"

"I'm fine."

Snow was slowly falling lazily from the sky. Horohoro looked up, smiling. If he hadn't realized his mistake sooner, he wouldn't have been able to spend a moment like this with Ren.

He got up from the bench, flinging himself onto the ground so he was lying in the snow on his back.

"H-Horohoro? What are you doing?" Ren inquired curiously.

"Oh, I don't know," the Ainu replied, laughing. "It's just that I did this a lot when I was a kid, back in Hokkaido." He spread his arms and legs out and began to shift them up and down in the snow. After a few seconds of this, he got up and stepped back to look at his handiwork.

"See, Ren? It's angel!" he laughed. He knelt down next to it, and using his finger, drew a tongari on the "angel's" head. He grinned. "Now it looks so much cuter."

Ren blushed, remembering what Horohoro had said a long time ago.

_"You're my angel...I would die for you."_

He snapped out of his flashback-like daydream as Horohoro screeched in fury.

"You evil midget! You stomped all over my snow angel Ren!"

Ren stifled his laughter as Horohoro began lecturing a poor toddler who had made the mistake of running over Horohoro's "masterpiece," leaving little footprints all over the markings in the snow.

"Leave him alone, Horohoro," Ren laughed, taking his arm as the child scampered off to make mischief elsewhere. "He's just a kid."

Horohoro chuckled. "I guess you're right, Ren." His amusement turned into concern as Ren began coughing again.

Ren had only coughed up blood one other time after the first fit, and this one didn't seem so threatening, but that didn't stop Horohoro from constantly worrying about Ren. He held him tightly, afraid that he would be unable to support himself. Even worse was the guilt he still carried with him, knowing that he was at fault for all Ren's suffering.

"C'mon, Ren," Horohoro said, slowly guiding him to his feet. "We should be getting home."

Ren nodded, and the two made their way down the snowy street, leaving two trails of footprints in the fresh snow. American holiday music drifted out shop doors and windows. Everything was so peaceful.

They soon arrived back in their apartment, to find that it was bitterly cold inside. Horohoro turned up the thermostat, but that didn't help stop their constant shivers.

Ren changed into his pajamas and crawled under his covers, shivering slightly and pulling the white sheets around himself. "Good night, Horohoro," he said before flicking off the lights in his room.

There was a long silence. Ren was still shivering in the dark, which prevented him from falling asleep.

He felt another chill drift through his bedroom window into the room, bringing with it an ominous feeling. That was strange. He specifically recalled closing the window tightly before going to bed.

Without warning, a dark shape loomed out of the shadows. Ren's eyes grew wide, and before he could utter a single sound, he felt a hand clamping over his mouth.

_"Merry Christmas, little Ren. Peace be with you."_

Hao.

The last thing he remembered was a searing pain in his head before everything went dark.


	11. Christmas Day

Horohoro woke up the next morning to find a chill settled over the apartment. Had he forgotten to close a window? He climbed out of bed, pulling up his collar to block out the cold as he walked quietly out of his bedroom.

It was deathly silent. Something was terribly wrong, he had that feeling in his blood. Dreading the worst, Horohoro slowly opened the door to Ren's bedroom. He scanned the area. Empty.

He felt the panic rise in his throat as he noticed this. The window was wide open, the curtains flapping like ghosts in the open frames.

At that instant, the phone conveniently rang. Horohoro, with trembling hands, picked it up, heart pounding. He knew it couldn't be anyone but Hao, who was the only reason Ren could have gone missing.

He was right.

"Good morning, Horohoro. Did you discover a nice Christmas surprise?"

"You bastard..." Horohoro growled, gritting his teeth, trying to hold his temper. "What have you done to Ren?"

"Nothing much. But you'd best come over here now or I'll slit his throat."

"Let him go!" Horohoro screamed into the phone. "He hasn't done anything to you!"

"Look," Hao replied calmly. "I only want to make a very simple bargain with you."

"Where are you?" Horohoro demanded. "Tell me now."

"Oh, I'm in that old abandoned warehouse by across the street from Heiyu. I would hurry if I were you."

"Don't you dare, Hao...don't you dare touch him..."

Without waiting for a reply, the Ainu threw down the phone. He dashed into his room, jerking his jacket out of the closet and pulling it on. He stuffed his ikupasuy into his pocket and shoved his boots onto his feet, opening the door and slamming it behind him.

He hadn't run like this in a long time. He thought his lungs were going to explode as he charged through the snow.

There was hardly anyone on the snowy streets, they were all happily opening presents indoors. he almost slipped as he turned sharply around the corner, his boots pounding on the sidewalk as he made his way to the warehouse Hao had mentioned.

Horohoro soon arrived at his destination, stopping only to catch his breath, panting. His breath was visible in the chilly air as steamy clouds. Heart still pounding, he slowly entered the long-abandoned building.

He looked left and right for any signs of any other presence, and he didn't see any. It was rather dark inside, and he squinted his eyes to see through it.

"So you came at last. I was getting impatient."

Horohoro spun around, just being able to make out an outline in the darkness of two forms. One was Hao, and the other he assumed was Ren.

The Ainu walked closer to the two, eyes narrowing.

Ren was kneeling on the floor with his hands tied behind his back. He was blindfolded, and a strip of duct tapehad been pulled over his mouth to prevent him from speaking. All he could do was to make muffled frantic noises, struggling uselessly against his restraints.

One of Hao's arms was wrapped mischeviously around Ren's waist, his fingers just barely brushing the bare flesh of where his shirt was cut to reveal the pale flesh underneath.

"Let him go!" Horohoro demanded, the anger instantly rising. He stepped foward as to make a move, but before he could, the blade in Hao's hand flickered downwards across Ren's arm.

The boy gasped in pain as Hao smirked in a sadistic manner. "You're so hot-headed," he commented. "Your snappiness is irritating me." He made another cut, causing Ren to let out a muffled cry.

"Stop it!" Horohoro screamed. "You're hurting him!"

"That's the point. Now, are you going to listen to my little compromise or not?"

Horohoro nodded uncertainly. "Fine, Hao. What's your game?"

Hao smiled at Horohoro. "Good. I want you to tell me the name of the man who brought your darling Ren back from the dead, and where I can find him."

"Huh?" the confused Ainu said, cocking his head. "Why do you need to know that?"

"It's none of your business, Usui."

"Tell me."

Hao made a deeper slit in Ren's flesh, letting the crimson liquid trickle out, staining the already dirty ground.

"You bastard! Don't touch him!"

"You haven't told me his name yet."

Horohoro sighed, wondering why Hao wanted to know this. "His name is Faust," he said slowly. "I don't know where he is right now, but I can give you his phone number."

Hao lowered the blade as Horohoro let out a sigh of relief. He hurried to Ren, pulling him away from Hao and holding him close, trying to stem the flow of blood from his injuries with his sleeve.

"It's alright, Ren...I've got you now..." he muttered as he untied his hands and removed the blindfold and duct tape.

"Horohoro..." Ren whimpered. "I...I'm sorry, I'm so useless...I'm such a bother...Really, I'm sorry..."

"There's no need to be sorry," the blue-haired boy insisted. "Nothing's your fault."

Hao was sitting quietly, the bloodstained blade had been dropped uselessly to the floor. He had a guilty and remorseful expression on his face, such that Horohoro couldn't help but feel sorry for him.

He looked up at Horohoro's curious expression. "Well, Usui...if you must know...it's disgusting to admit...but I think I kind of miss Yoh."


	12. On Hold

"What?" Horohoro blinked in confusion. Hao actually _missed_ Yoh? He didn't think that Hao would be capable of feeling emotions like that. There had to be some kind of catch.

Hao laughed. "Yes, it's paradoxical, isn't it? But don't get me wrong, Horohoro. I don't want Yoh back for sentimental reasons. He's a strong shaman, and I need him to help me. So I can put an end to the boy who contaminates this world with his presence. The boy that you dare treat with equality he doesn't deserve."

So that was it.

Horohoro snorted. "I actually thought you really did miss him for a second."

"You thought wrong."

"I know." He stood up, guiding Ren to his feet. "Good luck with that," he scoffed. "Yoh isn't that type of guy. He wouldn't betray me."

"Is that so?" Hao smiled at them. "Do you think he'd rather listen to a mere _friend..._or his _brother?_"

Horohoro ignored him. He was already on his way out, supporting Ren to walk with him. Hao didn't bother to follow them or do anything to stop them. Instead, he simply went on his own way as well.

After a few minutes of walking on the empty Tokyo streets, they arrived home to their apartment. Horohoro hurriedly rushed Ren indoors where it was warmer.

He closed the doors and windows, cranking up the thermostat and lying Ren down on the couch. Before he could do anything more to try to make him comfortable, another coughing fit swept over the Chinese boy.

Horohoro felt so useless and stupid. All he could do when Ren's coughing spells took over was to watch him helplessly try to fight back the harsh coughs.

At last, Ren stopped coughing, panting slightly.

"Are you alright?" Horohoro asked uncertainly.

Ren nodded quietly, taking a few moments to catch his breath.

Horohoro got out his "blankie" and carefully wrapped it around Ren.

"You do deserve it," he explained reassuringly, thinking back to when he had claimed he didn't. He regretted it terribly. It was all his fault Ren suffered from those awful coughs, and there wasn't much he could do about it.

"If you cough up blood again," Horohoro insisted, "I'll call Faust. That guy can do incredible things. He's the one who brought you back to me." He grinned. "I owe that guy a lot."

Ren began coughing again, and Horohoro quickly put his arms tightly around him. He felt something thin and wet drip downwards, and he looked towards his hands. They were covered in blood. Ren's blood.

Ren's hands flew to his mouth and his eyes widened. He coughed again, producing more of the red liquid.

"Agh...!" he doubled over, trying to fight the pain that suddenly surged through his stomach.

"Ren!" Horohoro screamed. "Ren, are you alright! Ren! Hey, Ren!" He felt Ren's body go limp in his arms.

"Oh, shit."

"Hang in there, Ren," he muttered as he charged to the phone. He shoved papers of the desk by the phone, searching frantically for the post-it with Faust's number written on it. It was nowhere in sight.

"Screw that," he said to himself as he picked up the phone. Any other doctor would have to do. His fingers flew over the phone keys, calling the local hospital as fast as he could.

"You've reached Tokyo Hospital, how may I help you?" A friendly receptionist's voice flooded into the earpiece.

"It's an emergency!" Horohoro urged.

"Let me put you on hold," the receptionist said cheerfully.

"NO! Wait, you-" Classical music began playing.

"You bitch," Horohoro hissed, glancing anxiously towards the couch where Ren was lying motionless. "Hurry up...hurry up..."

The music stopped, and the peppy voice returned. "Hello, how may I help you?"

"Listen to me, _bitch_," Horohoro hissed angrily. "Send someone over now. It's an emergency, if you don't hurry, my Ren...will...he'll...Well, the point is, just make it snappy...please."

"Alright, sir."

Horohoro hurriedly gave the address and hung up.

He couldn't do much more than to wait for the ambulance to arrive.

During that painfully long wait, Horohoro felt like his whole life was on hold.


	13. Coloring Books and Nightmares

Author's Note: I've been updating a little less than usual because of a release of a new fiction: _Dead Lotus_. Please read and review that if you have the time. In addition, I had a request to give this story a horrible, sad, depressing ending. I will do my best to accomodate such a condition, since I might as well because I don't really plan on doing another sequel. There will be no more of this particular story after this segment is complete with twenty chapters, like the first portion.

* * *

The next few minutes were a blur that Horohoro couldn't seem to grasp the full meaning of. The ambulance came, and he rode with Ren to the hospital, screaming his name the whole while. 

They wouldn't let him go with Ren into the emergency room. He had to stay in the waiting room, only to guess what could be happening. He felt like his heart was being torn apart into little pieces when he saw Ren, lifeless and helpless, wrapped within white sheets on a hospital gurney, being wheeled out of his sight. He wondered if this was the last time he'd see him.

The receptionist even had the nerve to offer him a coloring book, which he bluntly refused.

There were various magazines scattered around the room. Mostly on medical topics. Horohoro sighed. He knew that the doctors here would be nothing like Faust. They couldn't do what the shaman doctor could, and there was a possibility they wouldn't be able to help Ren.

He twiddled his thumbs impatiently. All his contemplation was starting to hurt his brain.

Slowly, but surely, he allowed himself to fall into a deep sleep. His head nodded, his eyelids fluttered closed, and he fell alseep right there on the squeaky floral print vinyl couch.

However, this blessing was tainted with the dark fingers of nightmares, which tore their way through his mind.

_He was floating. Yes, floating in a surreal world which seemed to have no dimension or meaning. The only thing that looked familiar to him was Ren's form in front of him._

_He reached out towards Ren, confused and usnure of what to do._

_It was like Ren was made of air. His hand seemed to pass right through the Chinese boy's. He couldn't reach him, he couldn't touch him. What was keeping them apart?_

_Panic overwhelmed him as Ren seemed to drift further and further away. He tried desperately to go after him, but something dark intercepted his useless attempts._

_A skeletal figure with yellowing bones, clad in a shroud blacker than night stood between them, seperating them. The creature extended his robed sleeves, and a terrible darkness seemed to billow from them, the evil tendrils snaking around Ren and strangling him._

_Ren called out to Horohoro for help, but the Ainu found he couldn't move. He tried with all his might, but it was like someone had pressed the PAUSE button on the remote control of his life. With a sick feeling in his stomach, he realized the figure who had appeared was none other but Death._

_Ren reached out to Horohoro, and with a burst of strength, Horohoro wrenched free from the invisible force restraining him. He tried to grab Ren's hand, but in an instant, it was swallowed by the darkness. And then he was gone. _

_"What did you do to Ren!?" he screamed at the robed skeleton, crazy with fury and confusion._

_"I didn't do anything. I'm merely escorting his soul to the afterlife. It was YOU. YOU killed him. You're a murderer."_

_Death nodded curtly at Horohoro, as to signify that his business had come to a conclusion. Then, it, too, was gone as well._

"NO! REN!"

Horohoro jerked suddenly jerked awake, accidentally kicking over a small magazine stand in the proccess. He was breathing heavily, with drops of sweat rolling down the sides of his face.

It was obviously just a dream, but it had seemed so real that it scared him immensely.

At that moment, a nurse entered the room, smiling at Horohoro and telling him that he could see Ren for a few minutes. The blue-haired teen eagerly jumped to his feet and followed her down the hall into the room Ren was being cared for inside.

He looked terrible. His face was pale and flushed, and he was shivering under his thin covers. Horohoro pulled up a chair next to the bed, taking Ren's trembling hands in his own.

A doctor had inserted a long needle into Ren's arm, and Horohoro watched as a red liquid flowed through the pump. He felt like throwing up.

"Don't worry, it's natural for him to feel cold," the doctor explained. "We're in the process of removing bone marrow for testing. We're not removing so much that it'll kill him, but it hurts him a little."

"A _little_? That's a lie," Horohoro snapped. He could tell by Ren's facial expression that it hurt not a little, but a lot. As the doctor removed the needle from his flesh and bone, a small whimper escaped his lips, causing Horohoro to squeeze his hands tighter.

His nightmare began to replay in his mind.

_"YOU killed him."_

_"You're a murderer."_

Horohoro shook his head madly, tears pouring down his face. It was all his fault. What had he done?

Was Ren really going to die?

"Please hang in there, Ren...you can't leave me. Please don't leave me...not again..."


	14. Insomnia

After a while, the doctors kicked Horohoro out of Ren's hospital room, claiming that they needed to run some more tests, and they couldn't have him interfering. He was pretty angry, because he didn't see why he couldn't be with Ren during those tests.

By Ren's coughing up blood, they suspected he may have had cancer, or lukemia, or something like that. It was nothing close. Horohoro couldn't bring himself up to tell the doctors what really happened, but that all didn't matter, seeing as they'd probably find out sometime or another.

That is, if they weren't as stupid as they looked.

Horohoro had nowhere left to go but back to the apartment. It was horribly lonely and empty without Ren's company. He found himself eating dinner alone, watching T.V. alone, and saying goodnight to himself.

Sleep did not bless the blue-haired boy that night. Not that he wanted it to, anyways. He was scared that he'd have another of those horrible nightmares.

He tossed and turned, staring unhappily at the white plaster ceiling. He kicked and rumpled his white sheets, flipping his pillow this way and that. He got up several times to go to the bathroom, get a drink, to look out the window, or to sit hopefully next to the phone, waiting for it to ring; the hospital calling to say that Ren was going to be okay and nothing was wrong. But of course, he knew that Ren was everything but okay, though he kept telling himself things would work out.

And that was how Horohoro developed insomnia.

Things were like that for a whole week. And even beyond that. Everyday he was forbidden to see Ren by the doctors, he thought a little piece of his sanity was being whittled away by a knife of guilt. And every time he had that feeling, it became harder and harder to fall asleep.

You would think that Horohoro would be happy for that, but it wasn't quite that way. At first, he had taken his insomnia optimistically, telling himself that at least he wouldn't have nightmares. But those horrible images kept coming to him in the day. He'd randomly space out sometimes, lost in a hurricane of his fears and concerns for Ren.

Many times a day, his mind would play a mental movie of Ren. Ren lying helplessly in a hospital, with doctors who barely cared to take care of him. Ren suffering, Ren in pain. Ren feeling homesick, feeling lost, feeling lonely. Ren dying with no one to be with him, no one to hear his last words, no one to witness his last breath, no one to say goodbye.

He thought he was going to go crazy. He'd walk to the hospital various times on each day, requesting to see Ren. And all these walks came out with the same result: the receptionist would always tell him Ren was to have no visitors.

He was painfully aware of the fact that slowly, but surely, Ren wasy dying.

On this particular day, his patience seemed to entirely snap, right when his ears picked up the words he faced everyday and he loathed like poison to his senses.

_"I'm sorry, sir. Tao Ren is being closely supervised by our caring doctors. He is to have no visitors today."_

"I DON'T GIVE A SHIT!" he screamed, slamming his hands on the reception desk. "You don't know anything about Ren! Neither do those stupid doctors! You bitch! Let me see him! I wanna see him! Can't you see he's dying!? You're all insane to do this to him! He's dying alone, and none of you are doing anything to help him! You can at least let me in so he'll have someone with him when he...when he...when he _dies_ for god's sake!"

"I assure you, sir, the interests of our patients' comforts are our first priority. I hope that now, you'll calm down-"

"SHUT UP!" With a wild swing of his arm, he sent papers and pens flying off the desk. The receptionist screamed, and in an instant, Horohoro felt his arms being grabbed by security guards.

"Let me go!" he screamed, struggling furiously. "Let me go, damn you!"

Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He immediately broke down, sobbing uncontrollably. He felt so stupid, like a spoiled child who was throwing a temper tantrum.

"I...I'm sorry..." he managed to choke out from between sobs. "It's just that I...I miss him so much...I shouldn't have done that..."

The security guards and the receptionist didn't put any charges against Horohoro. They pitied him, they treated him kindly like a child whose pet was being put to sleep. But Ren was no pet. He was much more. And he was going to die.

For Horohoro, that night was another sleepless one.


	15. Believe

Life without Ren was so bland and pointless. Horohoro wanted to just throw himself off a cliff, but he couldn't stand the thought of Ren dying alone.

He tried to comfort himself by walking to the bookstore. Everywhere he turned, he felt like throwing up.

Murder mysteries were shelved in many places across the store, sporting names and summaries filled with cold-blooded killers and their victims dying in total agony.

Horohoro swallowed. Ren was dying. He was to blame. He was a murderer.

He tried to involve himself in something else, eyes travelling towards the manga section. Perhaps an issue of Shonen Jump was the thing to lift his dulled spirits.

As he scanned the pages, two figures entered. He looked up, clenching his fists. One of them was Hao. He couldn't believe his eyes when his gaze moved to the next person. A lazy grin, chocolate-colored hair.

Asakura Yoh.

So Hao _had_ called Faust.

"Yoh?" he called, in an almost happy tone. Yoh turned around and spotted him, his grin widening by twice its size. "Hi, Horo!" he yelled exitedly, waving like an idiot. "Long time no see, huh?" His brow furrowed. "You look like a wreck...have you been getting enough sleep?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the Ainu lied. "There's nothing wrong."

"Huh?" Yoh asked, looking around Horohoro's shoulder, a confused look splashed across his expression. "Where's...Where's Ren? Hao told me he was always with you before... How come he isn't right now? I kinda wanted to say hi to him, too..."

"He's in the hospital," Horohoro spat bitterly, "And it's my fault."

"Oh, really?" Yoh asked, looking concerned. "I hope he's okay..."

"He's not okay. He's going to die."

"Oh...Gee, Horo...I'm real sorry about that..."

"There's no need to be sorry, Yoh. Ren is not of any concern to any of us now." Hao appeared behind his younger brother, an unpleasantly stony and smug expression plastered on his face. "Isn't that right, Usui? Don't you agree with me?"

"Don't talk to me." Horohoro scowled and turned away from him. He felt sick. He didn't even want to so much as look at Hao or hear his voice.

"I'm leaving," he announced, tossing the Shonen Jump back on the shelf. "See you around, Yoh."

He shoved past Hao, angrily exiting the bookstore. He walked idly around Tokyo after that. There was nowhere really else to go, and he didn't want to go back to the apartment. After what seemed like an eternity of aimless wandering, he found himself coming to a stop in front of the hospital.

"I guess it wouldn't hurt...to try one more time," he mused, walking through the automated doors. He stepped into the hospital's pristine white walls, wondering if today was going to be the same as all the others. He licked his lips nervously and approached the receptionist's desk. "Is it okay to see...to see Tao Ren?" he inquired nervously, crossing his fingers hopefully inside his pocket.

The receptionist filed through some papers, manicured nails clicking. She looked up and smiled at Horohoro. "Yes, dear. Tao Ren is allowed to have visitors today."

He couldn't believe his ears. The Ainu felt like hugging the receptionist and screaming with insane joy, but instead, he simply uttered a controlled "Thank you" before walking cheerfully to the hospital gift store. He wanted to do anything to make Ren feel loved.

There, he spent some pocket money on a small vase of flowers. They were white and plain, Ren never liked gaudy and colorful flowers. Feeling lighter and more carefree, he took his purchase up to Ren's room.

The door was unlocked, he opened it at once and stepped in. Ren wasn't sleeping but his eyes were closed, so at the sound of the door opening, he let out a small groan, muttering, "_Another_ test?"

"No, Ren...It's me, Horohoro. I...I came to see you."

Ren's eyes immediately fluttered open, and they seemed to brighten somewhat at the sound of Horohoro's voice. "Really? Oh, Horohoro...I haven't seen you in such a long time...I can't tell you how badly I've missed you..."

"Same here, Ren." He placed the flowers on his bedside table and leaned down, planting a gentle kiss on Ren's forehead.

"I'm going to die, aren't I?" Ren asked softly as Horohoro withdrew his lips. "The doctors...the doctors told me...that my internal organs were damaged beyond anything repairable...They said that they couldn't do anything to save me."

Horohoro's heart turned to ice. If he hadn't already suspected as much, he would have been screaming his head off.

"No, Ren...you're not gonna die...they'll find a way, I'm sure..." He took Ren's hands, rumpling his hair and smiling weakly. He hated lying to Ren, but he hated seeing him like this even more. He wanted him to feel at least somewhat comforted, if this was the most he could do. "You're not gonna die," he repeated.

Ren's eyes looked away, a filled with a terrible sadness. "I really wish I could believe you, Horohoro. I really do."

"Ren..."

"I'm sorry..."

Yet another sleepless night.


	16. Soul Cemetery

It was morning when Horohoro's phone suddenly rang. He was in the middle of a rather unenjoyable breakfast; he was horribly lonely. He shoved his bowl aside and hurried to the phone, picking it up and answering the call.

"Hello?" he grunted with his mouth still full of food.

"Hey, Horo. You free today?"

"Oh, Yoh. Hi." Horohoro blinked, pleasantly surprised. It had been such a long time since had had spent some time with Yoh, his best friend, and he seized the oppurtunity at once. There was no way he was going to pass this up. If someone was to take his mind off of his constant worries about Ren, Yoh would be the only one able to.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go for a walk with me? You know? I was going...I was going to go see Anna at the cemetery, and Tamao and Pirika, too..."

"Yeah, I'll go with you."

"Great. I'll come by your apartment in a few minutes and knock on your door, okay?"

"Sounds good."

"See you then, Horo."

Horohoro sighed. He hadn't visited any graves in a long time. He felt guilty, after all, Pirika was buried there. He wished he could see Chcolove and Lyserg as well, but there corpses had yet to be found by anyone.

As promised, Yoh stopped by the apartment and rang the bell. After he pulled on his coat, the Ainu joined him outside on the Tokyo sidewalk. As they made their way down the street, the snow began to fall softly once again.

It didn't take long to arrive at the cemetery. Despite the morbid atmosphere, Horohoro didn't feel any different as they pushed open the iron gates and entered. Anna, Tamao, and Pirika were buried very close together, so visiting would be very convenient.

They crossed the cemetery, manuvering through endless rows of bleak and somber-looking graves. After a few moments of silent searching, Yoh spotted the tombstone with the words _Kyouyama Anna _carved across the stone surface.

"Hi, Anna!" Yoh exclaimed cheerfully, sitting down next to the grave and patting the headstone. "It's great to see you."

Horohoro was jealous of Yoh. How could he act like he was talking to someone who was alive, and feel that way too? With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he knew that there would be a time when he would visit Ren's grave. But he wouldn't be able to take it as carefreely as Yoh.

He turned away, feeling tears sting his eyes. He couldn't stand the thought of visiting Ren and not being able to see him, just the cold gray stone. His eyes darted to the left, and he spotted Tamao's grave not too far away. He turned to it, sighing and silently thanking the long-dead, shy, pink-haired girl who had opened his eyes to how blind he had been to treat Ren so cruelly.

Next to her grave was Pirika's.

He rose to his feet and moved towards it, sitting down next to the gravestone in a fashion similar to Yoh's. "Hey, Pirika," he said softly, following Yoh's example. "It's been a while, huh? I have so much to tell you...about everything, and everyone...and Ren..." He swallowed hard, staring blankly at the stone. "Pirika, Ren's dying. It won't be too long before...before...he...he starts living with you up in the clouds."

The blue-haired boy furiosuly wiped the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes on the back of his sleeve. "Can you do your big brother a favor? Promise me you'll keep him company 'til I get up there, too, okay, Pirika? Please? You'll do it, won't you?"

He glanced back at Yoh, who was still cheerfully conversing with Anna's grave as if she was actually there to hear everything. "Guess what? Hao got some weird doctor dude named Faust or something like that to bring me back from the dead! I look great now, don't I? Don't worry, Anna, I'm still training really hard, just for you. I'll be Shaman King, you just wait and see."

"Yoh...we should leave." Horohoro looked down. If he stayed in this place any longer, he was sure he was going to embarass himself by starting to cry.

"Oh." Yoh blinked. "Okay. Sure." He waved at Anna's grave, grinning. "Bye, Anna! See you later!"

They left the cemetery, talking quietly.

"So...uh, where's Hao?" Horohoro inquired.

"Oh, him?" Yoh looked up. "He's at home. He's...he's sort of mad at me, I think."

"Really?" the Ainu asked. "Why?"

"Oh, I dunno, he's just stubborn like that. He wanted me to help him with something, like making sure that the doctors wouldn't be able to help Ren or something, but I said no 'cause I didn't want _you_ to be upset."

Horohoro's eyes widened. "Really? So the doctors really _can_ find a way, but Hao's just trying to prevent it?"

Yoh's expression saddened. "No, it's not that way, Horohoro...I'm sorry...Even if he _did_ do something to stop them...then they wouldn't be able to help him anyways. It's inevitable, I really wish it was that way, because then I could make Hao get out of the way..."

"It's okay." Horohoro sighed. "It's not a problem, Yoh...It's just that I'm gonna miss him so much when he's gone."


	17. Painful Memories

For the first time in a long time, Horohoro found himself falling asleep in the night. It was a really strange feeling, he hardly even remembered it at all. But he hated having to sleep again, all the memories of Ren came flooding into his dreams. He couldn't stand it. Why did he have to be thinking of it all the time? It made everything so much more painful, even if they were pleasant memories and not nightmares.

_"Ren, hold on to me, okay? Don't let go."_

_"O...Okay..."_

_"Are you scared, Ren? It's okay. Don't be. Trust me, alright?"_

_"I...I trust you, Horohoro."_

_"Good. Are you ready?"_

_"I guess so...AAAAAH!"_

_The adrenaline rush that followed as Horohoro jumped, with Ren holding onto him, was simply thrilling. As they splashed into the cool, clear lake, a feeling unlike any other took over his senses: it was happiness._

_He was laughing, and Ren was too. Ren looked so cute when he laughed. They were both dripping wet, and they both looked ridiculous, but they were having too much fun to care._

Horohoro groaned softly in his sleep. When would this mental torture end? Not any time soon, he realized, as another memory took over his dreams.

_"Dammit! Why is this so hard!?" Horhoro threw his pencil onto the table in frustration, gritting his teeth. Math was always his worst subject. He wrinkled his brow, glaring at the sheet in front of him._

_He had spent hours trying to do his math homework, finding that he simply did not understand._

_"What's wrong, Horohoro?" The Ainu spun around to see Ren standing innocently in the doorway, waiting for his reply._

_"Nothing much," he grunted in reply. "I just don't really get my math homework, and there's a test on it tomorrow, that's all."_

_"I-If you want...I can help you...I mean, I'll try..."_

_Horohoro's eyes lit up. "Yeah! I could really use your help, Ren! Come on, sit right here." He pulledu p a chair next to him and aptted the seat, gesturing for Ren to sit down, which he did._

_"Okay..." Rne looked at the assignment, scanning the problems. "The reason it's so confusing for you...is because you're getting the tangent, sine, and cosine all mixed up..."_

_"Ohhhh." Horohoro slapped his forehead. "Stupid me."_

_"See...? If they ask for the tanget value in the triangle, you have to divide the opposite side by the adjacent side...if you can just remember the formulas, it's really easy..."_

_The next day, Horohoro took his test. He didn't have too much trouble with it._

_And he ended up getting a 95._

_"Ren!" he screamed, bursting with happiness as he skipped cheerfully into the door. "Look, Ren! An A! I got an A on the test!" He ran over to Ren, swooping him off his feet, holding him in his arms and spinning around and around, laughing and grinning._

_"It's all thanks to you, Ren! You're a good teacher, huh? Thanks Ren, I owe you..."_

This memory shifted to another one.

This was worse than any nightmare that Horohoro had ever encountered. It was as if his own mind was taunting him, rubbing in and carving the fact in his heart that eventually, Ren was no longer going to be with him, and he would have no more memories like such with him.

_"Mornin', Tao. The school year's started again, and you're the same nerdy little piece of shit."_

_Ren froze as he heard the local school bullies speak to him. Horohoro and his friends had long stopped bullying him, but there were still the other kids to consider. Most of them were the flunkies who thought picking on smarter kids would make them look cooler. He tried to ignore them and move along like nothing big was happening, but he found that nearly impossible as they grabbed him by the hair and jerked him back._

_"Where d'ya think you're going? The fun hasn't even started yet."_

_He found himself being slammed into the wall, a pair of hands gripping at his collar. "Let me go!" Ren yelped, struggling furiously. His efforts were met with a slap across the face. He gasped, his cheek stinging._

_Ren was shoved to the floor as punch after punch and kick after kick rained upon his frail body._

_"Stop it...please..."_

_The kids who were beating him laughed, pointing out that he was indeed crying, and therefore a crybaby. His eyes widened as he was jerked roughly back to his feet and thrown against a row of lockers. A hard blow to his stomach caused him to double over, and the pain worsened as he recieved yet another blow._

_The abuse suddenly stopped, and he could hear a familiar voice. Ren looked up to see Horohoro standing there with his arms crossed, glaring. In short, he looked like he was pretty much pissed off._

_"What do you think you're doing, you insignifigant little brats?"_

_"Oh, uh hi, Horohoro...we were just doing your job for you..."_

_"What job?" Horohoro hissed, taking a step forward. "Who gave you permission to contaminate Ren with your filthy hands, huh?"_

_The kids looked confused and scared as Horohoro glared at them. They had thought he was still the old Horohoro, and that beating up Ren would surely make them more favorable with him, thus heightening their social status in the school. Of course, the Ainu gave them no such quarter._

_"I asked you a question. And you'll answer me." Horohoro grabbed the leader of the small group by the collar, throwing him disgustedly to the floor. "You're all pathetic little wannabes. Get the hell out of my sight before I kick your sorry little arses."_

_Terrified, they scrambled away like frightened dogs._

_Horohoro turned to Ren, kneeling down next to him. "Are you alright?" he asked, his tone instantly becoming softer. "Did those freaks hurt you badly? Oh...Oh gosh, Ren, your bleeding..." There was a gash on the boy's cheek from where he had been kicked by one of them._

_Horohoro pressed his sleeve to the wound, trying to stem the flow of blood. "Aww, I'm sorry. It's all my fault. If I had come earlier..."_

_"No...I-It's alright," Ren insisted. "It's not that big of a deal..."_

_The blue-haired boy wrapped his arms around Ren, ruffling his dark locks of hair. "Don't worry about it, Ren. You saved my life last year, remember? I owe you mine."_

Horohoro snapped awake, heart pounding and sweat pouring down his forehead. His hand touched the area under his eye, and he realized he had been crying, too.

If there was only some way he could somehow exchange lives with Ren. He would rather die so that Ren could live instead of watching his condition worsen each day as his life slowly slipped away and disappeared into thin air.


	18. Last Hope, Lost Hope

Author's Note: If you would all please take the time to acknowledge whoever posted the review, claiming to be me, is not me, and is in fact, a dimwitted little loser. Of course, any plain idiot could have seen that it wasn't me anyways, for all the reasons I listed in a review of response.

I would also like to state that _Old Habits Die Hard_ is coming near its final end, with only two chapters left to go. After it is over, you can look forward to updates in my other in-progress fictions, as well as many new ones. In the mean time, please continue your much-appreciated reviews. Lately, I haven't been getting many... Thank you.

In addition, I would also like to apologize for how short and crappy this next chapter is.

* * *

Horohoro had almost forgotten about the doctor who had saved Ren before, Faust. He had never bothered calling him to see if he could try helping him again. Maybe this was the only hope left? 

He went back to his desk, where a variety of phone numbers were scattered on small slips and scraps of scratch paper. He shuffled through the mess, searching for Faust's number. He searched for twenty minutes, and finally found the small sliver of white paper.

He picked up the phone and carefully punched in the correct digits with his finger. He held the phone to his ear, waiting nervously for someone to pick up on the other line. The phone made its annoying beeping tone several times as it tried to connect wth the number Horohoro had punched in.

_"If you'd like to leave a message, please wait for the tone..."_

Head spinning with confusion, the Ainu placed the phone down, before trying again. He recieved the same response.

Horohoro tried again, with no luck. He assumed that maybe Faust wasn't present at his office and unable to pick up.

Two hours later, he tried yet again. Still no answer. He shrugged it off, deciding to try again the next day. He did, and yet again, no one picked up. For three or so days, he kept trying, and with each call, his heart sank further and further.

No one ever answered or picked up.

Horohoro decided to call Hao. Hao had seen him recently for the revival of Yoh, perhaps he knew of the doctor's whereabouts. After all, he couldn't have just disappeared into thin air, could he?

He dialed the number for the Asakura residence, and to his relief, someone picked up.

"You've reached the Asakuras, how may I help you?"

"Uh, hi...I was wondering if Hao's avaible?"

"Yes, dear, I'll get the phone to him now."

"Thanks."

He waited, twiddling his thumbs and tapping his foot for Hao, whom he now despised so much, to pick up. Presently, he did, and Horohoro didn't hold back to jump right on the gun and get straight to the core of the problem.

"Look, Hao," he said quickly. "I know you've been to Faust's not too long ago to get Yoh back. I have some business with him, so I tried calling him a whole bunch of times, but he never picked up the phone. I suppose thay maybe _you_ know where that doctor is?"

Cold laughter came through the earpiece, sending a chill of dread up Horohoro's spine.

"Wouldn't you like to know, Usui?"

"Yes, I would," Horohoro spat. "Now tell me."

"And what..._business _do you have with him?"

"That's none of your concern."

Hao laughed again. "I'm not an idiot, Horohoro. I know why you want to call him. You need his help, don't you? You want him to save your darling little Ren, am I right?"

"Shut up."

"So it _is_ true. Well, since you're so honest, I may as well tell you the truth."

"You'd better," Horohoro hissed. However, his intense hatred and malice suddenly turned into shock. His blood ran cold as he heard Hao's terrifying response.

_"He's dead, Usui. I killed him long ago."_

"WHAT!?' the blue-haired boy almsot screamed back. "Why!? What did you do to him!?"

"You see, I just knew you were going to ask him to help your dearly beloved Ren, and he'd probably agree to it, so I couldn't let that happen. As soon as Yoh was safely back, I merely disposed of him so he would be unable to commit such a foul crime."

"Hao...you bastard..." Feeling sick to his stomach, Horohoro threw the phone down. His heart was pounding painfully against his chest. Why had Hao commited yet another horrible murder? Faust had been his last option. The only hope he had left for saving Ren's life was gone, like an expensive piece of glass that had slipped from his fingers and shattered onto the floor in a thousand sharp and small uselss fragments.


	19. Birthday

Author's Note: I apologize for not updating so long, but I did not have time because the school year is coming to an end, meaning a whole lot of blasted finals. Thank you for your patience. Also note that this fiction is almost over, this being the second-to-last chapter.

* * *

January 1st. 

For most of the world's population, it meant New Year's day. But for Horohoro, it meant Ren's birthday.

He didn't know what Ren would want at all, but he did manage to think of bringing a glass bottle of milk with him. Ren loved milk, and everyone knew that. He was ashamed of bringing such a simple gift, but there was not much else he could do.

"Yes, Tao Ren is allowed to have visitors today."

Those simple words were like music to Horohoro's ears as he walked through the hospital towards Ren's room, holding the bottle of milk as to not drop it. With a sinking feeling in his heart, he knew that this might be the last birthday Ren would ever celebrate.

He opened the door, trying to prepare his heart for the worst.

Apparently, Horohoro wasn't good at doing that.

The glass slipped from his fingers, smashing to the ground and shattering. Pieces of glass instantly scattered across the floor, tinkling softly.

Horohoro looked at Ren, eyes wide. The heart monitor was beeping in a terrifyingly slow pace. He didn't want to believe it, but he knew that Ren wouldn't be able to last much longer at all. A few hours at the most, as a matter of fact.

"REN!" he screamed, running towards him. The glass crunched underneath his feet as he knelt next to the bed, scanning Ren's face for any signs of life.

One golden eye fluttered slowly open and glanced weakly at Horohoro. Ren smiled softly at the Ainu, despite the fact that he was shivering.

"H-Horohoro..." he whispered. "It's...It's so cold..."

It is said that when someone is about to die, they feel cold.

"Hang in there, Ren," Horohoro begged, taking Ren's hands in his own and squeezing them tightly. "You can't leave me...not now, not on your birthday, of all days..." Tears were welling in his wide eyes as he begged Ren to stay alive.

"Don't cry, Horohoro..." His eyes were beginning to look glazed and dull, Horohoro could feel that he was slipping away from life, clinging on by only a small amount. The Ainu's heart was pounding wildly. There had to be something he had to do. Something. Anything.

"Ren, please!" Horohoro screamed, throwing his arms around the Chinese boy. "You can't do this to me, Ren...please...don't you die, don't you dare die...Don't leave me..."

Ren's breathing was becoming shallow, and his face was paling. The heart monitor's beeping was beginning to slow even more. Horohoro held Ren tightly, unable to keep the tears from falling freely from his eyes and onto Ren's body. His hand drifted to his chest to feel the heartbeat. It was so soft that it was barely even there.

"No...Ren..." His hands were shaking with grief and terror as the tears continued to flow. "Ren...I love you...you can't do this...hang in there, I'm begging you...Why? Why does this have to happen?"

"I...I'm sorry, Horohoro...I can't...I can't hold on...for much longer..."

"Shhh, don't say anything," Horohoro whispered through his tears. "You've gotta save your strength and fight, Ren...You can't die now, please, try to fight it..." He took Ren's cold face in his hands, leaning in for what would be their first, and last, true kiss.

He pressed his lips softly but firmly against Ren's, tears fringing his lashes. He held the position for a few moments before finally breaking the kiss.

"I don't want to die...I want to stay here, with you..." Ren's eyes were wide and dull, and they were brimming with tears that simply would not fall.

"Don't be stupid," Horohoro insisted softly, taking Ren's hand again. "Listen to me. When you die, you're gonna be old, you hear me? You're gonna live your whole life until you're an old, old, old geezer with grandkids and great-grankids and great-great-grandkids..."

_"Is that so?"_

Horohoro spun around to look at the door frame. Hao was standing there casually, smiling smugly as if he belonged there without a doubt.

"Hao...you bastard, who invited _you_ here?" Horohoro hissed, glaring at him, his eyes burning with pure hatred. "Get out of here. I need alone time with Ren." His eyes narrowed as Hao ignored his demands and proceeded to approach, his footseteps sounding softly, but maliciously on the tile floor.

Hao stopped at the side of Ren's bed, gazing down with mild amusement and interest. "You don't look that great...But that's to be expected of one who is about do die, don't you agree, Horohoro?"

"He's not going to die!" Horohoro almost screamed, practically jumping out of his chair with anger. "Don't say something stupid like that! You don't know anything! Leave us the hell alone, you freaking stalker!"

Ren's eyes widened as Hao ignored Horohoro again and instead reached down to touch his face. His fingers brushed his cheek, and the older shaman let an amused smile cross his lips. "Your face is cold, Ren. He turned back to Horohoro. "Yup. He's gonna die, alright."

"SHUT UP!"

"There's no use trying to deny reality, Horokeu."

Hao's hand flashed, and the next thing they new, Horohoro was sprawled across the ground, blood trickling from his mouth.

"Horohoro!" Ren sat up in his bed, strugglig to try and stand on the floor despite his frail condition. Trembling, he climbed out of the bed, dropping to his knees and crawling towards the Ainu. "H-Horohoro? Are you alright?"

"Ren? How'd you get up?"

"Oh, how sweet," Hao commented icily. "Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Unfortunately, I think it's best I put and end to this...by killing you."

"Don't you dare touch Ren," Horohoro hissed, glaring angrily at Hao. "If you do, I-"

"Excuse me. I wasn't talking about Ren." He smirked again, a sickeningly sadistic malice shining in his eyes. "He's going to die anyways. Allow me to clarify. When I said I was going to kill 'you,' I was refering to _you_. Horokeu."

* * *

Author's Note: I bet all of you already knew this, but just in case you didn't..._Horokeu_ is Horohoro's real name, Horohoro being simply a nickname he prefers to be called by. 


End file.
